Hey! Let’s Stress Less!

November 15, 2013

No joke, you guys are THE BEST. I think I received a virtual hug from about 150 people yesterday–texts, Facebook posts and messages, emails, messenger pigeons, interpretative dances. Between my birthday and our anniversary- you folks know how to make a girl feel loved! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Seriously!

Blah. I hate being stressed. My forehead breaks out, I crave sugar, I snap at Mark, and I vacuum a lot more than normal. I know this is weird, but vacuuming is soothing to me?!

Lately, I’ve made it my mission to not let stress affect me as much. Not that I will ever be able to remove all of the from stressors from my life, but I just want to take a deep breath and feel in control– not take a deep breath and feel like bursting into tears (this happens way too often).

So, for the past two-ish weeks, I’ve found these 3 things to be on constant rotation in my days and weeks. They allow me to take deep breaths and feel less “on edge:”

1) I write a step-by-step plan: For me, sometimes the stressful part of situations is not knowing how to achieve the end result. Some things just seem so big. So, I’ve learned to break it down and celebrate the accomplishment of each step.

I’ll use the example of raising a million dollars (something I actually have to worry about doing in my Young Life job). While the task at hand seems huge and scary, creating small, meaningful steps to get to the million dollars is actually manageable. I check one off, do a little happy dance, remind myself that I’m that much closer to my end goal, then prepare to work on the next step—thus even further propelling me toward accomplishment. It’s like climbing a ladder, step by step, then finally reaching the top.

2) I remind myself of my priorities.I wrote a post about 2 weeks ago about my daily priorities. Sometimes all I need in a little reminder of what’s actually important and my stressor usually pales in importance. I physically wrote my priority list on a piece of paper and I keep it next to our bed. I look at it when I wake up and before I go to sleep.

3) I take walks. Maybe it’s the fresh air, maybe it’s because my blood starts flowing–who knows? But for whatever reason, a nice long walk outside relieves me of that claustrophobic, suffocating feeling of stress. I think through stuff, develop a plan (refer to #1 on this list!), or talk through an issue with a friend or Mark. Walks make everything better for me.

None of the above things cures a family member of cancer, puts more money in your bank account, or gives you job security– but they do help you deal a bit better with those things. I think that’s key- learning how to deal with what’s thrown at you. What’s the old adage– “Life if 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it?”

I choose to react with poise and composure. Not acne, anger, and a wild vacuuming rampage.

I’m a thirty-something living on the beach in Northeastern Florida with my husband, Mark, and our son, Hudson. I am an American College of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and my current job as well as my absolute favorite way of getting fit and sweaty is through group circuit training at GO HQ. I am also specialized in nutrition through the Precision Nutrition program.